


Transverse

by SKRena



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, Master of Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-05-31 19:31:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6484690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SKRena/pseuds/SKRena
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since the war, Harry Potter has lost almost everything important to him. Filled with guilt and regret, Ginny left him and he now lives on his own. His only companions are the Hallows, which mysteriously returned to him after disposing of the items. Soon, Harry learns of his bigger role in fate, although he has no clue what to do. Plagued with the constant reminder of the loss suffered during the war, Harry decides to try and bring people lost back from the dead. What happens when he succeeds, but ultimately brings back more than he bargained for?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Embracing Death

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this is my first Harry Potter fan fiction. I've been wanting to write one for a while now, but I haven't gotten the time. Now that my schedule is somewhat open, I'm hoping to do my idea justice.

Harry stares down numbly at the three items that seem to mock him from their position on the table. The invisibility cloak, which he had kept after the battle seemed to rustle softly in the breeze created by the open window. Harry’s eyes slowly move to the Resurrection Stone, in his opinion, the most damning of the objects. It had been his intent to lose the stone in the last battle, but one morning he had simply awoke to find the Hallow next to his bed. Shortly after that, the Elder Wand, which he had placed in Dumbledore’s coffin, had appeared next to him one morning when he was drinking coffee and enjoying breakfast.

At first, Harry had tried to ditch the items once more. The stone he had tried to throw in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Then, he took the Elder Wand and tried snapping it in half, but that didn’t work. After that, he threw the wand into a volcano. Two months later, both items had dropped onto his head while he was in the middle of having sex with Ginny.

Speaking of the witch, she was currently sitting on the other side of the table, staring sadly at her former love. It had been a couple of months since they had split up. The feeling had been mutual, but she found that she couldn’t leave the wizard alone. If she wasn’t here to check in on him, she was sure that he would have drown himself in alcohol or starved to death.

“Mom wants you to come visit some time,” Ginny says quietly and watches the dark haired man for a reaction.

“Tell her I’ll visit in a couple of days,” Harry replies quietly. He gives the same response every time she asks him to come visit, although he never follows through.

“I made you food,” Ginny says in attempt to draw Harry out of his trance.

“Thank you.”

“You shouldn’t regret what happened,” Ginny states boldly. “Death is sometimes necessary to win a war. If they hadn’t died, we might have lost the war. Fred knew the risks of being part of the war.”

Harry responds to Ginny’s words by finally lifting his gaze and looking her in the eyes. It’s the first time he’s actually turn his attention towards him in at least two months. “You’re right,” he whispers. “I know you’re right, but it’s still hard.” Harry sighs and grabs the plate of food. As he takes a bite, he says, “The Hallows refusing to leave my side doesn’t help me any. They’re like a constant reminder of death and mock me. I just get the feeling in my gut that there’s a bigger meaning to these items.” He pauses for a minute. “Like there’s something I’m supposed to do with them; something bigger than my part in the war.”

Ginny stares at him with pity in her eyes. The man she once loved was delving into insanity before her very eyes and she knew that she was powerless to help him. Harry’s eyes snap her own as she lets out a sigh.

“I don’t want your pity,” Harry says and his eyes narrow at the red head. “I’m not going crazy, so there’s no reason for you to look at me like that.”

“I don’t think you’re going crazy,” Ginny lies, but Harry doesn’t fall for it.

“Yes you do,” he says and his vocal level begins to rise. “You think that I’m going crazy now that I have nothing to do since the war is over. You’re convinced that I’m dreaming up what’s been happening with these Hallows, because I desperately want something to happen again. Well, I’m not imagining any of this. We’ve known each other this long and you don’t trust what I’ve been saying to you! That hurts more than anything that happened during the war.”

Ginny was quiet as she sat through Harry’s tantrum. Honestly, she hadn’t expected him to have an outburst. Since the war, Harry had been a fairly mellow person. He didn’t normally lash out at anything.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Ginny says as she stands to leave.

As she makes her way to the door, she hears Harry say, “Don’t come back until further notice.” The door slams behind her on her way out and she quickly apparates away.

Harry sighs and finishes his food in silence. “Winky,” he says and summons the house elf. She had left Hogwarts to live and work in Harry’s home as his house elf. “Return this plate to Mrs. Weasley, please.”

“Yes, Master,” Wink says before popping out of the room.

Harry turns back towards the table and stares for a minute.

“Becoming enticed with the Hallows had led many men to their deaths,” a voice whispers and Harry freezes all movement automatically. “Do not be scared.”

“I’ve been wondering if someone was watching me,” Harry says confidently. “Who are you?”

There’s a soft huff of laughter from somewhere. “You should not be asking who I am. You’re smarter than that, Dear Boy. There’s a part of you that already knows the answer to the question you asked.” Harry’s eyes furrow as he tries to locate the source of the voice. “You won’t see me until I wish to reveal myself.”

“May I please see you?” Harry replies simply.

There’s a chuckle and a dark form appears directly in front of Harry. The raven haired wizard slowly looks up at the being that stands about a good meter above Harry’s stature. “Do you feel satisfied?” the being asks and Harry shrugs back.

“I mean, I could have only guessed what you would look like,” Harry says simply. “It’s pretty much what I figured; ominous.” The being in front of him just smiles creepily. “So, are you Ignotus Peverell or Death?”

“I am Death,” the being replies casually. “It’s been a long time that I’ve met a wizard that was able to face death with no fear.”

“Well, I technically have already faced death,” Harry says and then adds bitterly, “multiple times.”

“None of that matters,” Death says simply. “It doesn’t matter how many times you may come close to me. A moron can almost get himself killed on numerous occasions. You were destined to die after all of the Horcruxes were destroyed, but fate could never know whether or not you would crumble under this knowledge. When you embraced your fate with open arms and accepted your death, that’s when you truly escaped my clutches.”

“Wait, so you can’t touch me?” Harry asks, truly confused.

“I can touch you easily,” Death says and to prove his point, caresses Harry’s face much to the young wizard’s dismay. “The important part is that my touch does not kill you and never will.”

Harry’s eye brows press together. “I’m immortal?”

“Essentially, yes. See, you always had possession of the Invisibility Cloak. When you used the Resurrection Stone with no illusion that they were coming back, you had mastered that object. You didn’t let it fool you. Then, when you overpowered the Malfoy prat at Malfoy Manor, you became the Master of the Elder Wand. This isn’t enough to be their true master though. To truly have mastered all three Hallows, you have to accept your fate and embrace death. You fulfilled this final condition when you face Voldemort.”

“So, The Tale of the Three Brothers is true?” Harry asks curiously.

“It’s complicated. I did not gift the three wizards the items if that’s what you’re asking. All three of the Peverell brothers crafted their own items. They were perhaps three of the most gifted wizards I’ve ever had the pleasure of killing.” Harry makes a weird face at the last remark. “It’s a compliment, trust me.”

“If I can put faith in Death, then who can I put my faith in?” Harry says jokingly.

“You should always put faith in yourself,” Death replies mystically. “The three brothers may have been powerful, but they did not understand the meaning of the gifts they had forged for themselves. Each of them used the items for their own personal gain. Cadmus used his gift to directly defy the barriers of my world and his own for selfish reasons. Antoich created the wand out of pure lust for power, which is never a good thing. Although Ignotus was wise and humble, he still used the cloak to evade fate and thus, in the end, was cowardly.

“I knew these brothers personally when they were alive. They were good kids. They had all sought to outwit me though. I must admit, I was surprised at their power to create three items, that when combined, would overpower even I.”

“Why didn’t you destroy the Hallows if they threatened your power?” Harry asks and Death looks down at him strangely.

“That’s a simple question. Fate wouldn’t let me. The being had always been more powerful than me. She gave me some excuse that it was deemed by the natural balance of the world that there had to be a check on my power to take souls to the next world. I never understood what She had meant until I met you.”

“What does that mean?”

“Don’t be so dull, Dear Child,” Death chides. “You are perhaps the most powerful wizard to ever walk this very planet. On top of that, you have a truly pure soul. It’s only right that you should be able to defy me and travel beyond the destiny of mere mortals.”

Harry’s eyes widen as he takes in the information. “Why do you say perhaps?”

“Tom Riddle was more powerful than you, but Voldemort was not. Do you know why?” Death smirks at Harry as though he has asked a trick question.

Harry thinks long and hard for a moment before replying, “Tom Riddle was sane before he split his soul. Afterwards, he lost his humanity, which is an important thing that gives people power?” Although he didn’t want to admit it, Harry had just pulled that explanation out of his ass, because he didn’t honestly know the answer.

“You’re close. No matter what Dumbledore may have thought, Tom Riddle was capable of love. The man that preceded Voldemort was no fool. His downfall was his love for power, which was greater to him than his love for any human. It wasn’t Tom Riddle’s destiny to love anyone in his lifetime. As soon as he had split his soul, Tom’s love had won over everything. It wasn’t until he tried to kill you that his love backfired and destroyed part of his soul.”

“This is all so complicated,” Harry says quietly and takes a seat.

“Would it help if I gave you a simplified version?” Harry nods. “You’re immortal now and I am going to be your companion. I have Death things to do every now and then, but you are ultimately my Master. If you ever need me, I will be there automatically. Don’t let this all fool you though, Fate has something planned for you, but I don’t know what. Was that explanation better?”

“Much,” Harry says and smiles. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“I understand,” Death says with a nod. “I have other business to attend to though. People are dying at a rate of about 150,000 per day. I’m a busy person. It helps that there are more than one of me though.”

“Wait, there’s more than one Death?” Harry asks with wide eyes.

“Not enough time to discuss this. We can talk about it later,” Death says before disappearing.

Harry has more questions on the tip of his tongue, but quickly admits defeat. He would have to ask them again next chance he got. As Harry stares up at the ceiling he could help but to chuckle a little. Fate is definitely a funny thing.


	2. Dreams

During his teenage years, Harry had come to resent his dreams. Mainly because they held graphic depictions of Voldemort murdering innocent muggles and mudbloods. The dreams where he got to watch people die were the worst ones. It killed Harry that he couldn’t save anyone.

After the war, he no longer had the dreams of people getting murdered by Voldemort. In his new dreams, Harry is always the one that kills them. He got them all killed in the war for not figuring things out sooner. During the war, Harry never got to see many people perish or got to say a goodbye to them, so his dreams compensated for this. Harry couldn’t even count the number of times he had to watch Remus and Tonks get killed. Usually, that dream came about the evening after he visited little Teddy.

This dream was vastly different from the most recent ones. Harry hadn’t had this dream since his after Sirius died. It was always the same though. Bellatrix would send Sirius flying back into the Veil and he would die in front of Harry. Every time, Harry would wake up in bed screaming and wouldn’t be able to fall asleep.

When Harry sat up in bed screaming this time, Death was there watching him. “Have a bad dream?” he asks calmly.

Harry sits there erratically for a few moments before finally calming down. “Yeah,” he manages to pant out. “What exactly is the Veil?”

Death is quiet for a moment. “I didn’t expect you to ask that. The Veil is simply a doorway between worlds. There are many of them throughout the wizarding world, although most of them go undiscovered. They’re just an easier way for me to go from world to world. If humans touch the portal, they will perish like your Godfather.”

Harry is quiet for a moment. “What would happen if I were to touch it?”

Death frowns down at the immortal teen before him. “I don’t want to answer that, but I feel as though I must. Honestly, I don’t really know what would happen. I can only guess. More than likely you’ll just transverse into the next world.”

“Would I be able to return?”

“You are Death’s Master,” replies the being. “Theoretically, you should be able to walk back without any troubles. I have to warn you though, once you pass through the Veil, since you’re still alive, you’ll probably be bombarded with the souls of the dead.”

“What does that mean?” Harry asks.

“The souls of the dead will probably be waiting on the other side. The souls of those that haven’t moved on that is. If the soul choses to, it can tie itself to the mortal plane in denial. As Death, I can only retrieve the souls; I can’t force them to move anywhere they don’t want to go. Most souls realize their death and move on without protest. Others have to wait years and watch their families die before they can finally find peace.”

“That’s fascinating,” Harry replies. He gathers himself and crawls out of bed. “ _Tempus,_ ” Harry casts and checks the time. 5:57 AM. “I guess it’s decent enough time to start my day.”

“Mortals are funny,” Death says as he follows Harry about the house.

* * *

Harry apparates into Molly’s kitchen, startling almost everyone in the room. They honestly weren’t expecting him to actually show up. Molly hadn’t seen Harry in person since the week after the Battle of Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione hadn’t seen him in a couple of weeks. He had briefly stopped by when they were watching Teddy.

“Harry!” Hermione shouts and throws her arms around her best friend. “I was convinced you were never going to come out of the damned house.”

“I figured that it was about time I got my shit together,” Harry replies with a laugh. “I just needed time to sort all of my feelings out.”

“It took you long enough,” Molly says and playfully punches Harry in the arm. “We are just eating breakfast. Sit down and fill yourself up.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Harry says and takes a seat on the table. There had been one empty place at the table with a plate and silverware ready to go. “Were you expecting someone else?” Harry asks.

“No, Mom insists on setting a place at the table for you every day even though you never show,” Ron replies.

“Oh,” Harry says awkwardly. “I’m sorry that I didn’t come around sooner.”

“Shush,” Ginny pipes up.

Harry hadn’t even noticed she was there and when she talked, he turned bright red. “I’m sorry about my outburst last time,” he mumbles embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” Ginny replies quietly. “You were right.”

“Food is served!” Molly shouts and starts dishing out the food by making the spoons shovel it out magically.

“Your cooking is as amazing as always,” Harry says and he takes a couple of large bites. “I’ve definitely missed it. Ginny’s cooking just doesn’t compare.”

“You’re such an ass!” Ginny shouts jokingly.

“I always tried to pass my touch onto her, but she could never quite get the grasp of it,” Molly teases and Ginny sticks her tongue out.

Sitting there like that reminded Harry of the time before the war and he almost felt at peace, but Harry still knew that things had been changed for good. Nothing could ever be exactly the same.

“What are all you wankers up to?” George asks as he walks into the room. Although George sounds like his usual self, Harry can hear the sadness seeping into his voice.

“George,” Molly scolds, “watch your language!”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he says, but they all know it doesn’t have the same ring to it without his brother to say it in unison with him. “Harry, it’s been a long time!”

“Too long,” Harry replies and gets up to embrace his good friend. As he pulls George in for a hug, he accidently brushes up against the scar tissue where the red head’s ear used to be. “I’m sorry,” Harry says instinctively.

George smiles sadly and says, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Oh,” Harry says awkwardly. “I suppose that enough time has passed for it to heal.”

“I was wondering if I could borrow Harry,” George says as he ignores the awkwardness.

“We just got him back though!” Ron whines.

“Do we need to make a custody schedule of Harry?” Hermione asks.

“That’s not necessary,” Harry says. “I like to think that I’m an adult and I can choose who gets custody of me.” Harry and George start towards the door. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back later today.”

Once they’re outside the house, George says, “I need you to come with me.”

“Why? More importantly, where?” Harry mumbles out before George quickly apparates them away. “God damn it! George, you couldn’t have,” Harry’s words trail off as he takes in where they are. “Why are we here?” Harry asks quietly as his eyes trace over the eerily quiet room.

“They told me to bring you here,” George whispers creepily.

Harry swallows as he looks at the most intimidating object in the room; The Veil. The tattered black fabric seems to swish in the wind even though there was no breeze running through the room. “George, who asked you to being me here?”

“Fred mainly,” George replies and takes a step closer to the archway.

“How did you manage to get me here?” Harry asks and looks around for the Auror strike, which was sure to happen soon. There’s no way they didn’t detect the break in.

“I pulled a few strings,” George says and he sits down in front of the arch. “Over the years, Fred and I sold many of our inventions to The Ministry. In exchange, I pulled a few strings and gained a number of security clearances.”

Harry watches George stare at The Veil before slowly making his way over to the wizard. That’s when Harry hears the voices.

“Harry!” someone shouts and his head instinctively snaps straight towards the arch. Harry knows that the archway is dangerous. Many people have become entranced by the voices on the other side and have succumbed to the temptation to touch the Veil. Harry had been tempted back before Sirius died. Now, Harry didn’t feel that pull, but he certainly did feel the fascination with the other side. Death said that Harry should be able to touch it, right?

“Harry, what are you doing?” George shouts from the floor and tries to grab onto the younger wizard. Harry quickly dodges him and continues towards the Veil. “Do you want to die?” George shouts in a desperate attempt to get through to Harry.

“Don’t worry,” Harry says. “I don’t think I’ll die.”

“Careful, Child,” Death says as he appears out of nowhere. “Once you go beyond, I can’t tell you for sure what you’ll find or how it’ll affect your mind. People that have died are vastly different from the people they were when they were alive. Defying the veil of death might have a lasting impact on your mental health.”

Harry casually looks over his shoulder at the elder. “That’s funny. After all I’ve gone through in my life, I don’t think there’s much of an affect left to be had on my mental health.”

George looks at Harry like he’s nuts. “Harry, I know you probably think you’re fine mentally, but you’re talking to thin air.”

Harry looks mildly concerned as he turns his eyes towards the Weasley. “Trust me, just like the war,” Harry says and George can’t find the will to refuse. Harry was going to do what he wanted regardless of whether or not George tried to stop him.

Harry’s hand begins to slowly stretch towards the Veil as he gets closer and closer. With every step, the whispering grows louder and louder. Harry gulps slightly, but doesn’t falter in his steps.

“Don’t be scared,” a familiar voice whispers to Harry when he is only inches from touching the fabric of the Veil.

“Harry, don’t do it!” another voice shouts and Harry recognizes this one. It’s Dumbledore. “What you’re about to do could very well alter the universe as a whole. If you decide to come over into our world, you could cause the very fabric of fate to tear.”

Harry looks up at Death with unsure eyes. “Do what you feel is necessary,” Death says simply. “I can’t tell you whether or not to do it. You’re my master. I don’t tell you what to do.”

Harry hesitates just as his fingers begin to brush the fabric. George winces and prepares for Harry to fade away, but to his shock, Harry stays there and doesn’t die before his very eyes. As he gasps, green eyes turn towards him.

“Don’t worry, George,” Harry says quietly. “I’ll return soon.” With that, Harry plunges into the archway and disappears from sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What will Harry see on the other side of the Veil? More importantly, who will Harry see on the other side of the Veil. I've already decided, but what do you think? Leave your comments and predictions below. <3


	3. Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you aren't going to like this chapter, but there are very good explanations to everything. Death explained how the plane of existence works between worlds and I plan to stick to it.

The first thought that crosses Harry’s mind is that the other side of the Veil is incredibly cold, but Harry doesn’t shiver. It’s almost as if he has left his physical body behind. He can still feel, but there’s the absence of something. Harry feels almost hallow.

“Don’t be scared,” Death says. “Your body had been separated from your soul to make the journey. Technically, your physical form is still in the Chamber of Death with George. I can only talk to you telepathically, because I have to guard your body. Don’t do anything incredibly stupid, because I won’t be able to stop you.”

“Harry, why didn’t you listen to me?” Dumbledore says and Harry spots the man amongst a crowd of faces.  Instead of looking old, Dumbledore resembles himself from the age his precious sister had died.

“I had to make the choice myself,” Harry replies simply. “For once in my life, I wanted to make my own choice and not listen to what everyone tells me.”

Dumbledore frowns, but simply bows his head. “I wanted to wait to see you again before I truly moved on to the afterlife. My wish has now been fulfilled. My reason for waiting was to thank you once more for saving the wizarding world. The longer I observed the world, the more fearful I became. The world needs someone to save it again, but I don’t believe it’s your role to fill this time.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asks. As far as he knew, the Ministry was doing fine and the wizarding world knew the most amount of peace that it’d ever seen before.

“I can’t say for sure, but I don’t like the course the world is heading right now,” Dumbledore mumbles. “Voldemort left too much of a mark on the world. Even though he’s gone, everyone still lives in fear and it will eventually drive everyone mad. This fear will cause a slip up and somewhere done the road, our identities will be compromised to the Muggles.” Dumbledore makes a pained sound. “I must get going now. Someone waits for me on the other side.”

“Goodbye,” Harry calls out. “Thank you for everything!” Dumbledore nods and then disappears completely.

“I suppose I should probably go with him,” a voice says and Harry’s eyes widen. Standing within the crowd is Gellert Grindelwald.

“You never moved on?” Harry asks him in shock.

The handsome young wizard smiles. “No. I simply had to watch your fate with Voldemort play out. It was too fascinating to give up. I had been imprisoned so long, I needed to see something truly entertaining. Although, I must admit, I’m not sure I want to move on quite yet. Your life is not yet over. There might be plenty more entertainment to come.”

Harry smiles nervously at the second most powerful dark lord to have ever walked the face of the planet. “That’s not something I want to hear. I’d like to retire to a nice peaceful life.”

“Don’t lie,” Grindelwald says. “You know you’d never be able to sit with the quiet life. Deep down, The-Boy-Who-Lived likes the excitement that comes with the title.”

“Quit picking on him,” a voice shouts out and Harry starts grinning.

“Sirius!” Harry shouts and runs over to his godfather. “You’re still here!”

“Of course I am, Pup,” Sirius whispers as he pulls Harry in close. “I won’t move on until you come join me, which looks like it might never happen.”

Harry chuckles. “It doesn’t seem like I’ll end up dying anything soon. Death says that I’m immortal now.”

“I saw,” Sirius says. “Everyone has waited for you. You should probably say goodbye to them now, because I’m sure they don’t want to wait around forever to see if you eventually die.”

Harry looks up and smiles. “Tonks!” he shouts and runs over to hug the Metamorphmagus.

“Hey, I think that’s my wife you’re snuggling up to,” Remus teases. Harry immediately pulls the werewolf into the embrace. “This works.”

“How’s our Teddy doing?” Tonks asks. “I wish I could be there to watch him grow up.”

“He’s growing at a fast rate,” Harry says and his eyes practically shine. “He’s a smart kid already and is showing signs of being a metamorphmagus too!”

“That’s amazing!” Remus exclaims. “I wish you could be there to show him the ropes,” he adds sadly as he looks at his wife.

“That may be possible,” Harry whispers to the duo. “I have an idea if you’re willing to try.” Tonks looks uneasy, but nods her head. “I’ll include you in on it later. Just trust me for now.”

“As scheming as always, Potter,” a voice grumbles and Harry looks over into obsidian eyes. “Don’t give me that shocked expression. Do you really think I’d be willing to just move on after death? I had to stay behind to watch over you after Lily and James had moved on.”

“They’ve moved on already?” Harry asks quietly, disappointment lacing his voice.

“Yes, after you defeated Voldemort,” Snape replies. “They never expected to see you in our plane of existence.”

“I suppose not,” Harry says quietly. “Who else is here?”

“Me, of course,” Fred answers as he emerges from the crowd of faces. “Did you think I’d just move on without watching over my other half?”

“Of course you’re here,” Harry says with a small laugh.

“Don’t be fooled though,” Snape says. “This place isn’t just for warm reunions. We have evil amongst us.”

Harry’s blood runs cold in his veins. “Who’s here with us?”

“Don’t be so dull,” Snape replies. “You defeated the greatest wizard of all time and became immortal, use your brain. Who do you think would have denial over the fact that they’ve died?”

“Don’t say it like that,” another voice says as they enter the ring. Harry freezes as the man of his nightmares steps forward. While he expected the scaly, snake-like person he had defeated, instead, Harry got to take in a young Tom Riddle at the peak of his handsome youth. “Harry didn’t defeat me. That would imply that we had a righteous duel. The only reason Harry won is because I failed to realize that Harry was the master of my wand. It was pure and stupid luck.”

“That sounds like that story of my life,” Harry mumbles. “What are you doing here, Tom?” Harry shoots at the intimidating wizard.

“Did you think I’d simply move on after dying?” Tom asks Harry as if the younger teen were the stupidest looking thing in existence. “The answer is no. Now that I’ve gained more of my mind back, I can see the amusement in our struggle.” Tom’s eyes watch Harry carefully. “Don’t give me that look. It is funny. I tried fighting a _baby_. If that isn’t funny, I don’t know what is.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Harry spats out. Tom rolls his eyes at the young wizard. “Jesus, you’re sassy. How did people tolerate you in your own time?”

“Pot calling the kettle black, Potter,” Snape mummers.

“Thank you, Snape,” Tom says and looks at Harry triumphantly. “Do you even realize the power you have, Young One?”

“Probably not,” Harry says with a shrug.

Tom groans. “Now you know how I feel,” Snape says smugly to his former master.

“I’m so glad that Dumbledore didn’t let me have a teaching job,” Tom mumbles. “I might have strangled a kid in my first yet. Definitely would have strangled the Potter and his little gang,” he says referring to James. “Second time around too.” That one was shot at Harry.

“Who pissed in your cereal this morning?” Harry asks sarcastically.

“I’m dead, smart ass,” Tom replies. “What the hell do I have to be cheery about? Besides, I would be the same even if I was alive. I’m just a terribly fun person to be around.”

“He may not be cheery to be around, but he sure as hell can hold an interesting conversation,” Snape says although it looks like it pains him to say it. “Voldemort may have been the greatest scholar of his time.”

“Voldemort is no longer my name,” Tom hisses. “That’s the name of a failure. I am not failure.”

“Do you feel any regret?” Harry suddenly blurts out.

Tom freezes for a moment, pursing his lips, and then slowly turns towards Harry once more. “In what sense of the word?”

“Do you regret what you did? Like all of the killings. Do you regret killing my parents?” Harry asks confidently, mustering up all of his Gryffindor courage.

“In some ways I do, but in other ways I don’t. James and Lily Potter were powerful wizards. The world losing them was truly a tragedy, because in this day, losing two influential people is a major blow, but at the same time I don’t regret it. If I hadn’t killed them, you wouldn’t be here right now. There’s the chance that you would have never flourished into the powerful man you are today.”

“I would have had a happy childhood though,” Harry says quietly. “Power isn’t everything. Love trumps power.”

Tom opens his mouth to speak, but promptly closes it again. Harry stares deep into the man’s eyes and he can see a strange emotion hidden in their chocolate colored depths. “If I could do everything again, I would do it a lot differently.”

There was an awkward silence all around the area. No one really wants to speak out. Finally, Harry breaks the silence by saying, “I should probably get going.” Harry walks over to the arch that he had originally come from. “Before I go, Sirius, Tonks, Remus, Fred, come join hands with me.” They all gather around Harry and link hands. “This might hurt, but don’t let go.” Without any warning, Harry jumps back into the arch, holding everyone tightly. There’s a blinding light before a loud thud.

“What the hell did you do?” Tonks asks as she rubs her head. Slowly, she looks up and her eyes widen. “Harry, what the hell did you do?”

Death stares down at Harry with a neutral look on his face. “Harry, while I want to commend you on being powerful enough to pull your little trick off, I am highly upset. Fate will probably try and scratch my eyes out over this one. I really don’t want to go through an eternity without being able to see.”

“It worked?” Harry asks excitedly as he stands. Sitting on the floor in the Chamber of Death are Tonks, Sirius, Remus, Fred, George, Snape, Crouch Jr., Tom, and Grindelwald. All of the color drops from Harry’s face in an instant. He hadn’t meant to bring that many people back with him. “That’s more people than I wanted to bring back with me.”

Death furrows his eyebrows and looks down. “That’s not good,” he says quietly. “I have to return them to their world quickly.” Death reaches out to touch the unwanted guests, but suddenly they disappear from sight.

“Where’d they go?” Harry asks as dread fills his very soul. “Death, please tell me they all just died and they didn’t apparate away.”

“Okay,” Death says. “I’m just not going to say anything then.”

“Harry, did you bring us back from the dead?” Sirius asks as he stands up.

“I think so,” Harry says. “That was the goal anyways.” Harry walks over to the unconscious George on the ground and shakes him a little to wake him up. “Can you tell me if you see people in this room?” Harry asks George as he gazes up with sleepy eyes.

“Sure,” George says and yawns. As he looks around, his eyes widen comically, and all signs of sleepiness fade in an instant. The man on the floor is torn between screaming and crying. “What,” he starts but doesn’t finish.

“Calm down,” Fred says and he kneels next to his brother. “Quite acting like a girl.”

“Fred,” George whispers and immediately embraces his dead brother. “How did you do this?” he asks Harry.

“I am the Master of Death,” Harry replies simply. “It’s my job to defy death.”

Death’s head snaps to the side and the immortal frowns. “Fate is calling my name. I must go now. She says she has something important to tell me.” Before anyone can speak, Death disappears.

“We should probably get going now,” Harry says and helps the others to their feet. “Let’s just go back to my manor until everything gets sorted out.”

“Am I supposed to come with you too?” a voice asks and everyone’s attention immediately snaps to the person in the room that everyone had thought disappeared with Voldemort. “Oh, you think just because I was once a Dark Lord that I’d run away with Voldemort?”

“Well, yeah,” replies Fred without missing a beat.

“The man killed me,” Grindelwald says. “Why in the bloody hell would I go with him? I had no real goal in coming back to life. I saw you people join hands and thought it might be entertaining.”

“Death was right,” Harry mumbles. “Dying once really changes people.”

“Plus, I was half insane when I was killed,” the former Dark Lord adds. “Such a shame too. I have so much reading to catch up on.”

“I’ll lock you in a room with Hermione. How’s that sound?” Harry smiles to himself. There’s no way the infamous muggle-hater would ever tolerate studying with a muggleborn. “Let’s go. Everyone hold hands and I’ll activate the portkey to take us back to my place. Once everyone is fed and situated, I’ll gather up the rest of our little misfit family.”

“Alright,” the twins say in unison and everyone laughs. That was definitely a sound that Harry missed.

Everyone gathers in a circle and links hands together. Whispering, “Home sweet home,” into the key around Harry’s neck causes everyone to suddenly teleport away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Death certainly does change people, but does that mean it changes them for the better? Now that Voldemort and two of his Death Eaters (Snape of questionable status) are back, what do you think he'll do? Voldemort may have his sanity back, but does that mean he'll suddenly change his methods of executing his will? Take your guesses below and leave a review. It's always fun comparing them to what I have planned to see how predictable I truly am. <3


	4. Former Villains Club

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is incredibly short but it is an update. Another chapter will be up by the end of the week; don't worry.

With a loud thud, Barty Crouch Jr., Serverus Snape, and Tom Riddle all land on the floor of a carefully hidden safe house.

"Why did you do this?" Snape practically yells at the newly restored Dark Lord.

Tom glares down Snape before taking a seat in the small sitting area. "There's no need to be so hostile," he chides. "I did it simply because I wanted to. You saw Potter was up to something. I just happened to think faster than you."

"How did I come into this?" Barty asks. He grips is head in his hands with a groan. Coming back to life didn't feel the best.

"You hadn't moved on yet and the more loyal supporters the better." Tom lays down on the couch and closes his eyes.

"I really don't believe I qualify as a loyal supporter," Snape informs Tom dryly.

"Maybe not to the old Lord Voldemort, but I'm not that failure." Suddenly, Barry's headache goes away after Tom's magic washes around him. "We are not who we used to be. Things will be different this time."

"How do you plan to prove that you're different when you brought back Barty Crouch Jr.?" Snaps asks with anger clear in his voice. How dare he bring them back to life and expect a warm welcome?

"He is loyal to me. If he doesn't agree with me now, I can deal with that quickly." Red eyes narrow at the man on the floor. "As for you, everyone knows you're a good man. Potter made sure of that, so that'll help make things easier for us."

"What exactly is this plan?" Barty asks. "You're not planning on reviving the Dark Mark, right?"

"The Death Eaters are dead." Snape and Barty breathe a sigh of relief. "No, we are going to still fight for our cause though. This time, we will use a more legitimate route."

Snape snorts before he can stop himself. He's surprised when nothing happens to him. "What exactly is this legitimate route?"

"I'm going to become the Minister of Magic." Snaps almost laughs but stops himself when he sees the look on Tom's face.

"How exactly do you plan on doing this?"

"That's a story for supper time." Tom says and pats his stomach. "I'm ready for real food. Let's go join some old friends for supper."


	5. New Beginnings

The port key sucks them through and delivers the bunch in 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius looks around the place with wide eyes. Never would he have ever guessed that he would be back in this house again. Honestly, the less he saw of it, the happier he was. The only ancestral home was no place for him; never was.

"Do not worry," Harry says to Sirius, "your mother's portrait is in the library; covered up."

"Thank you," the older man says with a sigh of relief.

"I will have Winky start some food for everyone," Harry says. "You are all pretty much free to do what you want while we wait. Once we are done eating though, we should head over to the Burrow to get this all explained."

"Mum is going to have a heart attack," George says and looks at Fred.

"Maybe Harry should go first and then call us there," Fred suggests.

"You might be right," Harry says. "Your mum will probably faint just from me explaining it."

"Fred, we have so much to catch up on!" George says and pulls him so they're heading towards the attic. "Little Ronnie is now our business partner and he's amazing at it!" Their chatter dies down the hallway as they disappear from sight.

"I think we will just enjoy a nice fire in the sitting room," Lupin says softly and smiles at his wife. They saunter off, locked in each other's arms off to the sitting room just down the hall.

Left standing in the hallway was Sirius, Harry, and Grindelwald, who stood there awkwardly.

"Can we all talk in the kitchen for a moment?" Harry asks nervously.

"I suppose," Sirius says, equally as nervous. 

"If I am willing to explain myself, will you two relax a little bit around me?" Grindelwald asks.

"More than likely not," Harry says honestly and leads them into the dinning room. "Winky, can you please bring us some tea?"

Almost instantly, the house elf pops into the room with a tray of cups and a kettle. "Will that be all, Sir?"

"Yes, thank you, Winky," Harry says as he pours everyone a cup of tea. "What are your plans now that you managed to hitch a ride on the revival train?"

Grindelwald shrugs a bit. "I did not have any goal in mind when I grabbed onto you and your friends." He takes a drink of his tea. "Oh, this is good. I missed drinking things. Being dead is so hard." He sighs. "I am not planning any sort of world domination, do not worry."

"Alright, so what is it that you want to do?" Sirius asks impatiently.

"Live," he says quietly. "I know that it is a selfish request after everything I did in my last life, but I am not the person I was then. Those years in prison were torture. No one could come back from that the same person." A hopeless look crosses the man's face for a brief moment and Harry shivers slightly. "When Voldemort showed up looking for the Elder Wand, it was the first contact with anyone since the beginning of my confinement. He is a madman. I knew that from the moment he entered my prison. No one comes looking for a mass murderer unless they're crazy themselves."

"What did he want?" Harry asks curiously.

"He wanted to know where the Elder Wand was among other things," Grindelwald says sourly.

"Did you tell him?" Sirius asks.

"I refused to tell him a damned thing," he says proudly. "That is also why he killed me, but I took my secrets to my grave. Seeing him made me realize some very important things about myself. When I had looked at him, all I could see was my younger self, and it made me want to vomit on the floor. See, Albus would some times send me letters while I was in my confinement. Occasionally, there would be pictures. Every day though, he would send me the newspaper." He takes a deep breath. "I got to follow the new war very closely, which also included the life of Harry Potter. You were very interesting to follow. Your muggle blooded friend too. The one that works for The Ministry. After death, I watched her life very closely. Not to sound creepy. I admire her work."

Harry could hardly believe that Grindelwald was talking to him about Hermoine. "Her name is Hermoine Granger."

"She is a brilliant witch!" he says excitedly. "See, magic and the whole community has changed so much from when I was in my youth. Muggles have changed so much from when I was young too. They're getting smarter." He looked pained to admit it. "They have developed some pretty impressive technology. Muggles are catching up to us. We have all relied on our magic too much! We haven't been trying to dig deeper like they have. Muggles have been creating machines capable of doing what our magic helps us do. That is truly impressive. Compared to my youth, the jump in civilization has been immense. Soon, they'll create technology greater than our magic is what I fear."

Harry and Sirius stare at Grindelwald in shock and awe. That was not the type of speech that they were expecting from the former mass murderer. 

"Do you, umm, still want to murder muggles and subjugate the rest?" Harry asks nervously.

"No." Harry breathes a sigh of relief. "Muggles are more powerful than they used to be. If war were to break out now, I honestly do not know which side would win. Have you ever seen those guns that they have now? They make the guns of my time look like nothing."

"Are we supposed to believe you?" Sirius asks.

Grindelwald shrugs. "It is up to you whether or not you want to believe me, but I can swear on my magic right now if you would like. If that's what it would take for you to believe me and give me a second chance, I would do it in a heartbeat."

Sirius and Harry share a look.

"Alright, swear on your magic that you will never attempt to kill someone ever again," Harry says calmly.

"Will you let me live if I do?" Grindelwald asks hopefully.

Harry looks uneasy for a moment but takes a deep breath. "I will." Besides, Harry could not die, so if he ever broke his end of the deal, nothing would happen to him; at least he hopes that's how it works. "Sirius, will you do the honor?" Harry extends his wand towards the older wizard.

"Umm, sure," Sirius says and takes the wand reluctantly.

Harry and Grindelwald rise from their chairs and kneel in front of Sirius, facing one another. Slowly, Harry raises his right hand and places it in Grindelwald's.

Sirius clears his throat nervously. He presses the tip of the wand to the men's hands and takes a deep breath.

"Will you, swear to never harm another muggle ever again?" Harry asks.

"I will," Grindelwald immediately says and a fiery wire wraps around their hands. "Will you, promise to the best of your ability to keep me a free man?"

"I will," Harry says and another wire appears around their hands. Their wire flares up before quickly disappearing. "Well, I guess that is that."

Sirius looks on the pair nervously and sits back down. "This entire situation breaks my mind," he mutters. "Who would have guessed that Grindelwald would switch sides?"

"I never promised to switch sides," Grindelwald replies. "I want to be left out of your politics. This is my second chance at life. I am not going to waste it over any more silly conflicts. For now, I just want to hole up in a library and learn everything there is to learn."

"I will take you there," Harry says to try and ease the tension that suddenly popped up.

"Thank you," he says as Harry leads him out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we get to find out who Tom decides to pay a visit to. Sorry that the update was short and about a month or too slow. Thank you for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think of the start? Harry handled it pretty well, right or is his meltdown on the horizon? Please leave comments and feedback. :)


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